2011 Lesson Learned: The Negative

[sdcantrell56]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

I've commented on Champs elsewhere, so more generally, I think inspection still needs some work. Specifically, I think things tend to get overlooked or given a pass in the name of getting robots on the field and letting teams play. Which is fine and all, but a bit irksome to teams that actually try to comply with the rules. I've since forgotten things I noticed at the regionals, but I recall a team in Curie running with black bumpers when they were a blue team. Black bumpers with red numbers.

Something's wrong with inspections if a team apparently gets passed out of a regional with illegal bumpers and without a note that they need fixing. And then gets passed through inspections at Championships with, presumably, the same illegal bumpers.

I know inspectors are busy and have a lot to do, but I still find it hard to believe a team was playing at Champs with such a blatantly illegal robot.

A team in Newton was using a van door motor to power their arm. It was quite prominently displayed as well. When this is happening I think it's time that the number of teams at the Championship event was pared down to be more competitive and cut out a lot of the filler. Maybe then FIRST wouldn't have to relegate to fields to the pits ( an entirely different issue). It is a bit frustrating seeing things like this getting passed and then our robot is run over with a fine tooth comb.